Vehicle



W. E. MCLAREN.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED 0Ec.19.191a.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Eve/2W mg.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT {)FBICE,

. WILLIAM E. MeLAREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR ro MCLAREN AND COMPANY, I A FIRM CONSISTING or WILLIAM E. MQLAREN, J. w. SLEIG-HT, AND w. A. SLEIGHT,

ALL OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. MOLAREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to improvements in that type of vehicles or cars designed for the practical use of children, particularly boys, for riding purposes, which are propelled by the feet and legs of the rider, and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement and operation of the various parts thereof as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

As is well known,'the rapid growth of small children often render their toys or implements of amusement, When adapted for personal requirements, useless to them, or obsolete, after their use for the period which they are obtained, and it is an object of my improvements, to provide a car or vehicle of a progressive construction, which can be adjusted by stages to suit'the requirements of a child in its growth, that is to say, so that it can be comfortably used by a child for a period of time, and as it is outgrown by the child it can be adjusted to other stages to suit the increase in growth. In

general the principal object of the invention is to provide a riding vehicle or car of the above mentioned general character, which shall-be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable, safe and efficient in use, with its parts so made and arranged that they can be readily adjusted, to the end, that the heights of the seat of the car or vehicle can be varied to suit the requirements of children of different ages and size, or rather, those having legs of different lengths, Another object is the provision of a vehicle or car which can be con- 7 structed almost, if'not entirely, of wooden serve to illustrate an embodiment of the invention-- I Figure 1 is a plan View of thedevice, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

VEHICLE.

Patented uly 1, 1919.

Application filed December 19, 1918. Serial No. 267,478.

which are secured on the lower surface of the rear portion of the member 4 near the s1de edges thereof and in parallelism with one another. Each of the brackets 5 is provided on its'inner surface with a plurality of guideways 6,.which are also located in parallelism with one another; The board 4 is. reduced toward its front end and is provided near said end with a vertical opening 6 for the purpose of receiving the reduced portion 7 of a steering post 8, which has a pair of prongs 9 onits lower end between which is journaled a wheel 10 of wood or other suitable material. Detachably mounted on the upper portion of the reducedpart 7 of the steering post is a member 11 which has a handle 12 horizontally mounted on its upper portion by means of which said member and the steering post can be turned. The

member 11 is'fixed to the reduced part 7 of the steering post by means of a pin 13, which is extended into suitable openings 'in said member andpostl Located between the upper surface of the seat member 4 and the lower end of the handled member 11 are a number of dollars 1 1 and 15, which fit snugly around the reduced portion 7 of said post, which latter is provided below the member 1 with an annular shoulder or enlargement 16 to support said member at its front end. Located'in a plurality of the guideways 6 of the brackets 5' and in the upper portion of said guideways are a number of stop blocks 17 and 18 which may be secured in place by means of screws or bolts 19 extended through the brackets 5 from their outer surfaces into said blocks. One of these blocks, for instance, the block indicated by the numeral 17 is of substantially the same thickness as one of the collars 14 and 15,

and another block, for instance, the one indicated by the numeral 18 is of substantially the same thickness as both of the collars 14 and 15 when placed one on the other. While I have shown each of the brackets 5 as being provided with three guideways each, yet this number may be increased or diminished.

to at leasttwo of such guideways. In the event of an increase in the number of said guideways each of the additional pair of such ways will be provided in the upper portion thereof with a stop-block of a thickness substantially the same as that of a plurality of the collars 14 and 15, that is to say, the stop-blocks are graduated in thickness to correspond with the thickness of one of said collars, a pair of said collars or three, four or five of said collars when placed one on the other. The guideways 6 of one bracket 5 are located so as to register with the guideways 6 of the other bracket, and said ways are for the reception and retention of a plate or wheel carrier 20, on the lower end of which is journaled a pair of wheels 21, preferably of wood. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing these wheels are located at the lower portion of the sides of the plate or carrier 20 therefor.

By employing the above mentioned construction of the parts it is evident that when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the seat member will be supported in a horizontal position by means of the steering post 8 and the wheel carrier 20, which is located in the guideway 6 adj acent to the steering post. When the parts are thus arranged the device is adapted for the use of a very small child or one having short legs. To adjust the device to accommodate a child of a larger growth or one having longer legs, the handled member 11, collars lat and 15, and the seat member 4: can be removed from the part 7 of the steering post when, by placing oneof the collars on the part 7 of the steering post so as to rest on the shoulder 16 thereof, and then placing the seat member on top of said collar, and then placing the other collar on top of the seat member and fastening the latter in posit-ion by means of the handled member 11, and pin 13, it is apparent that the front portion of the seat member will be elevated to the distance of the thickness of the collar under said member. Now by removing the wheel carrier 20 from the front guideway 6, and then inserting it into the guideway adjacent thereto, but rearwardly thereof, it is manifest that the block 17, resting on the upper end of the wheel carrier 20 will cause the rear portion of the seat member to be elevated to such an extent that said member will assume substantially a horizontal position. If it is desired to further elevate the seat member to accommodate the requirements of a child of still greater growth, it is manifest that both of the collars 1a and 15 may be placed under the seat member at its front end, and the wheel carrier 20 may be inserted and secured in the guideway 6, in which the thicker block 18 is located. The collars surrounding the reduced portion 7 of the steering post not only act for the purpose of sustaining the seat member 4; at different heights, but they also perform the function, in conjunction with the front portion of the seat member, of providing a reinforced bearing for the part 7 of the steering post, whether said collars be located above or below the seat member, in which positions they will be maintained by means of the socketed handled member 11 and its securing pin. The brackets 5 are provided with openings 22 through which bolts may be passed to engage the sides of the wheel carrier 20, if it is desired to permanently secure the same in position in the guideways of said brackets.

By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that the guideways 6 in the brackets 5 are downwardly and rearwardly inclined, and it will be understood that by this arrangement the tendency of the seat member tilting downwardly at its rear end, should the occupant of the device sit too far back on said member, will be diminished or entirely avoided.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a vehicle, the combination with a frame having a seat member provided near one of its ends with an opening and near its other end with a plurality of stepped guideways, of a wheeled steering post extended through said opening and provided below the same with an enlargement to support said member, a handled member detachably secured on the upper portion of the post, at 7 least one collar removably mounted around the post between the seat member and the handled member, and a wheel carrying plate detachably secured in one of said guideways.

2. In a vehicle, the combination with a frame having a seat member provided with a plurality of downwardly extended guideways near one of its ends, of a wheeled steering post vertically journaled on said member and having an enlargement below the same, a handled member mounted on the upper portion of said post, at least one collar surrounding the post between the handled member and said enlargement and adapted for location above or below the seat member, and a wheeled plate mounted for interchangeable location in said guideways.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with a frame having a seat member provided with a plurality of downwardly extended guideways, of a stop block located in the upper portion of at least one of said ways, a wheeled steering post j ournaled on the seat member and having an enlargement below the same, at least one collar surrounding the post and adapted for location above or be low the seat member, and a wheel carrier mounted for interchangeable location in said guideways.

4. In a vehicle, the combination with a frame having a seat member provided with a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly inclined guideways, of graduated stop blocks located in a plurality of said Ways, awheeled steering post journaled on the seat member and having a plurality of collars surrounding the post and adapted for location above or below the seat member, means on the post Copies of this patent may be obtained for to prevent vertical movement thereon of the collars and seat member, and a Wheel carrier mounted for interchangeable location in said guideways.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th day of December, 1918, at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.

WILLIAM E. MoLAREN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

